Q & A

Kathy O’Keefe Kanavos addresses your
concerns about Cancer

Dear Readers,

I have received a number of letters expressing concerns about sexual intercourse and intimacy during cancer treatment. I have responded to your questions in my article Sex, Drugs & Rock n Roll, in this issue of CapeWomenOnline.com

Dear Kathy,

I’m finding sexual intercourse painful after chemotherapy. I consulted my doctor about this but he had no suggestions. I don’t know where to turn for help and this is not something that I feel comfortable discussing with just anyone. Do you have any suggestions?

Cynthia in Kansas

Dear Cynthia,

I applaud you for coming forward with your concerns because they are shared by many women, including myself. Rest assured you are not the only woman experiencing this discomfort. Please read my article Sex, Drugs & Rock n Roll for some possible solutions.

Dear Kathy,

How did you decide which chemotherapy to take for your breast cancer? Were you worried that it might not work?

JSA- Middleboro, MA

Dear JSA,

I worked closely with my doctors to determine the best possible chemotherapy treatment for a successful outcome. Although there are no absolutes, as far as successful treatments go, I believe that self-advocating is an important part of therapy. Our doctors are there to help, guide and educate us, but the final decision is always ours because we are responsible for ourselves.

I also used a CSRA (chemo sensitivity and resistance assays) test. This test is a tumor kill and treatment typing tool. A piece of my tumor was sent to Dr. Robert A. Nagourney, Medical Director of the Memorial Medical Center cancer center in Long Beach California. He used this lab test to help predict which chemotherapy drugs would kill the cancer outright and not just stop it from growing during treatment. He then faxed those results to my oncologist in Boston.

Dr. Nagourney’s CSRA test determined that only one out of the three chemotherapies offered by my oncologist killed my cancer. This helped me in my decision to take Adriamycin-Cytoxin as my chemotherapy.

Please email your questions to:
Kathy O'Keefe Kanavos

Dear Kathy,

I just read your article “We are not alone” from the September issue of CWO and would like to offer my comments. I appreciate the immense work you have done on yourself in regard to your own healing as well as the work you have done with those who have come to you for wisdom and guidance, especially in the area of cancer.

I am a Metaphysical Healer with over 23 years in the fields of holistic healing and traditional counseling, the emphasis being on holistic and metaphysical healing. It is my understanding that in order to become fully empowered in our natural gifts, we need to do our own personal and spiritual work in order to have full access to our abilities, and be able to share our natural gifts. Your personal story demonstrates to the reader your humanness and your ability to transcend beyond the human tendency to get stuck in a victim level of awareness.

You give a beautiful description of the process you went through around opening yourself to a higher level of consciousness that has allowed you to access your higher self and the personal Guides who surround you. You give the women reading your articles a vision of hope and you encourage them to trust their own intuitive voice.

This message is so important because going into the medical establishment, it is so much more typical for women to give up their power and take everything their doctors and nurses say at face value.

In my healing work with clients, when they receive difficult news, I encourage them to embrace their emotions and notice their reactions, but then I gently have them begin to look at the situation as an opportunity for growth on both the human and soul level.

Based on my experience, the most important symptom to clear for clients who are in a state of shock over a diagnosis is either fear, anger or a combination of both. If any of your readers are interested in what I might have to offer, I would be happy to extend a 30 minute consultation to any of your readers at no charge.

Thank you for sharing your experience, courage, and wisdom and thank you for being such a positive example for other women to take back their personal power and turn a life threatening situation into an opportunity for growth!

All my best, Ellie Pechet
508-295-9809 Phoenix Rising Healing

Dear Ellie,

Thank you for your response to my article and your generous offer of a 30 minute free consultation for any readers of this magazine. The fact that you are a Metaphysical Healer with 23 years of experience in this field makes your insights even more meaningful because they give the article validation.

I agree with your insightful comment that it is often life’s challenges that bring our abilities and supernatural gifts to the surface of our consciousness. What we choose to do with those gifts may be a turning point in our lives because listening to our intuitive voices may be life-saving.

Your response validated that there is no “one correct way” to help others in need. I am using the venue of WORD through my book Surviving Cancerland: A Memoir on the Psychic Aspects of Healing, and writing for this magazine. You are doing it with Angel Readings and Yuen. Thank you for sharing your light with this world.

 

Return to the Summer '09 Holistic Healthpage

Centerville Yoga & Wellness

Hatha Yoga Classes:

Beginners - Tuesday eves 5:15
Moderate - Thursday eves 5:30
Details at KindYoga

Kathleen O’Keefe-Kanavos is a two-time, ten-year breast cancer survivor. She lives on Cape Cod with her husband of 25 years and their cats.

A retired special education teacher, Kathy also taught psychology at the University of South Florida, and is a Reiki master.

For seven years, Kathy has been a phone counselor to women throughout the country & seven foreign countries for the R. A. Bloch Cancer Foundation.

R. A. Bloch Cancer Foundation or email hotline@hrbloch.com

She is also a mentor for WE CAN

She has penned a book, Surviving Cancerland: A Memoir on the Psychic Aspects of Healing, and recently signed with New York literary agent Jack Scovil to find a publisher for her work.

The Pink Pages of her book have been added to the R.A. BLOCK CANCER FOUNDATION reference booklet.

Kathy was featured in the Barnstable Patriot Newspaper and interviewed in January, 2009, for the PROFILE program of TV Channel 17.